Millions of Americans got hooked on pot and started driving-while-stoned last year as ‘predatory Big Marijuana’ lured 100,000 teen users: government data show toll of legalization
Millions of Americans became addicted to marijuana last year and about 100,000 teenagers tried it for the first time, anti-pot activists say, citing the latest official data.
Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug czar who now campaigns against breakneck legalization, said the government’s annual survey of substance abuse revealed “more users and more addiction.”
The number of teenagers and adults suffering from cannabis use disorder rose 14 percent to 19 million, he warned.
Meanwhile, the 12.5 million stoned drivers who got behind the wheel marked a An increase of 15 percent from the previous year, he added.
Worse, the number of teens who consider smoking pot dangerous has fallen slightly, with another 100,000 of them having started using the drug in the past 12 months, he said.
About 100,000 American teens started using cannabis in the past year
The driver of this vehicle in this fatal crash in New York was charged with marijuana homicide
The new data is based on responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a survey conducted annually by the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
White House Drug Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta
“This is what billions in lobbying, marketing and product development buy: more users and more addiction,” said Sabet, chairman of the Smart Approaches to Marijuana group.
The survey comes after Ohioans voted this month to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, making it the 24th U.S. state to do so, joining Washington DC. Several other states allow it for medical use.
Advocates say pot has health and social benefits, but critics say widespread use leads to more mental health problems, substance abuse and even more gritty drivers causing car accidents.
Researchers found that nearly a quarter of American teens and adults had used an illicit drug in the past year, with marijuana by far the most popular, with 61.9 million people using it at least once.
More than 17.3 percent of respondents had a substance use disorder, meaning they were addicted to it or couldn’t control their use. The most common problem involved alcohol.
Addiction and substance abuse were causing serious health problems, federal officials warned. A quarter of adults suffered from a mental illness last year and a fifth of adolescents had a depressive episode.
A counselor suggests healthy alternatives to smoking pot during a teen therapy session
Two dozen teens discuss cannabis, school and stress during a group session in Charlestown, Maryland
“These drugs are not safe and they are not drugs,” said Kevin Sabet
Dr. Rahul Gupta, White House drug policy director, said America was being hit from coast to coast.
“This is not a red state or blue state issue,” he said.
“There are currently more than 48 million Americans struggling with substance abuse, and three in four are not getting the treatment they need.”
Legalization in more and more parts of America comes as scientists increasingly raise the alarm about the drug.
Researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety say car accidents have increased by nearly six percent in states that have legalized recreational cannabis use.
The group’s research last year showed a 5.8 percent increase in traffic accidents in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada after those states legalized cannabis and created “pot shops.”
Experts at Stanford University revealed in February that cannabis users are up to a third more likely to have a heart attack than others.
Researchers backed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse warned in May that marijuana could cause a 30 percent increase in schizophrenia cases among young men.
Joshua Jimenez died by suicide in December 2021 at the age of 22. Josh had been using marijuana since he was 14 and was hospitalized three times for marijuana-related psychosis
The above shows cannabis use in US states. Twenty-four states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, while most allow it for medicinal purposes
That same month, family members of three people who abused cannabis told DailyMail.com how their lives had been turned upside down by cannabis.
Sonia Jimenez, from Houston, Texas, lost her son Josh, 22, to suicide in December 2021, which she said was caused by chronic cannabis use.
Josh started smoking and vaping in 9th grade and quickly developed a habit that resulted in three episodes of hospitalization for psychosis.
After he started using pot, Josh’s grades started to drop. He also became extremely paranoid and said his friends had tried to kill him, adding that he saw “very scary things, like dark, almost demonic creatures,” according to his sister.
At one point he fell asleep at the wheel, traveling about 100 miles per hour, and was in a serious car accident. Another time, according to his sister, he fell asleep after smoking or lighting a candle, causing a huge fire.
Josh’s sister Alex said he borrowed money from relatives before fleeing to California overnight. When his money ran out, Josh’s family paid for a bus to take him back to Texas. But he never came home. Josh got off the bus in Pecos, Texas, and jumped in front of a train.
His family blames the extremely potent cannabis strains Josh smoked. THC, especially in high doses, has been linked to the development of several psychiatric disorders, from depression to schizophrenia and psychosis.
Anti-pot campaigner Sabet agrees on the dangers of high-potency weed.
“The normalization and industrialization of today’s high-potency THC drugs is bad for Americans of all ages, especially our next generation,” he said.
“Big Marijuana has set its sights on appealing to a new generation of users by telling people that their products are safe and even useful.”